As long as we breathe
by IcedLady
Summary: Hiragi Mitsuru sacrificed herself for the sake of her team and for Konoha. This is what everyone believed in. This is what Itachi believed in. But he's in for a surprise when the leader of the Akatsuki announces that they had a new member. ItachiOC. Rated M due to Hidan... Come on, no one can write a story where Hidan does not curse once! Unless something went terribly wrong :P


Itachi fingered the thin chain he wore around his neck. His slender fingers slid down to the pendant which was shaped like a kunai. It was small enough to fit into his palm and the words As long as we breathe were engraved on one side of the blade.

His gaze traveled from the pendant to the bright blue sky and the ghost of a smile danced on his lips. He could remember the day he was given this gift as if it happened only on the previous day.

 _'It's been ten years already'_.

 **Flashback:**

 _Itachi watched from the trees as his little brother practiced throwing his ninja stars. It saddened him that he could not spend as much time as he wanted with the younger Uchiha but he was proud to see that Sasuke was working hard for the sake of pleasing him. Just by looking at the determination in the little boy's eyes, Itachi believed that Sasuke would one day become even more powerful than himself._

 _His attention shifted to a familiar silver-haired girl who was entering the training ground. His eyes followed her every movement as she casually strode to where Sasuke was training and she kept a safe distance from him. From where she stood, Itachi had a clear view of her. She was in her usual outfit which consisted of a blue sleeveless turtleneck, a black skirt which reached her mid-thighs and the usual nin-shoes. Bandages covered her legs completely and she was wearing fingerless black gloves which sported her clan's symbol on the back; two crossed swords with a crown in the middle. A smile appeared on his face when her pale blue eyes met his and she gave an almost unnoticeable nod to acknowledge his presence, unlike Sasuke who was still not aware of Itachi's presence._

 _The younger Uchiha stopped his training to assess his slow but definite progression. It was then that he saw the girl who was standing by the side. A wide smile broke on his face and he ran to her. "Mitsu-neesan!" he exclaimed. "You came to watch me training?"_

 _The older girl smiled softly and she placed a hand on top of his head as soon as he was close enough. "Yes. I sensed a very strong chakra signature and I thought that I should check it out to see who it belongs to. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was you!"_

 _"Really?" Sasuke asked with twinkling eyes. "One day, I'm going to be as strong as you and Nii-san!"_

 _Mitsuru grinned at him and she ruffled his hair. "You'll definitely surpass us"._

 _"But first he'll have to improve his sensing ability", Itachi added as he jumped down from the tree he was perched in._

 _"Nii-san! When did you come?" Sasuke asked as his older brother walked towards him and Mitsuru._

 _"I was here the whole time", Itachi admitted and he too ruffled Sasuke's hair. His eyes met that of Mitsuru and a silent message was sent to him._

 _"What?" the little boy whined. "Why didn't you come out earlier?"_

 _"It doesn't matter, Sasuke. Head home now, Kaa-san must be waiting for you", Itachi told him with the tiniest smile. Sasuke threw him an uncertain look but he smiled brightly before taking off for the Uchiha compound._

 _The two ten years old Ninja stood facing each other and Mitsuru looked up at the bright blue sky. "I'll be leading a mission tonight", she then said, without meeting Itachi's eyes. "I won't be back for a week at least"._

 _"I wonder what the Hokage is thinking making you the leader of the team", Itachi said with a twinkle in his dark eyes._

 _The blue-eyed girl scoffed and she smirked at him. "Come on, I'm not that bad"._

 _"You're reckless, you rely mainly on your brute strength, you take brash decisions and you can be plain stupid at times", the boy pointed out. "Do I need to say more?"_

 _"You know I'm a worthy opponent, despite all of that. Else we wouldn't be standing here together", she shot back, a smile gracing her features. "I have something for you". She fished in her skirt's right pocket and she produced a thin necklace from which a small kunai hung._

 _Itachi took the small gift and he took his time to look it over. "'As long as we breathe'?" he read from the pendant._

 _"We're comrades", Mitsuru said. "I'll have your back no matter the situation. You know that I trust you the most out of everyone and that you have my loyalty. Even if one day it happens that you turn against Konoha for whatever reason, I would follow you blindly. As long as we breathe, we'll stick together"._

 **End of flashback.**

"What are you doing out here alone?" Kisame asked as he approached the young Uchiha. He received no answer and Itachi stood up, walking back inside the base. Kisame shook his head and he followed his partner inside. He watched Itachi's retreating back and he wondered what was going on in his mind. "It's not like he tells me everything, anyway", the ex-Kirigakure Shinobi mumbled under his breath.

Itachi walked towards his room slowly, his mind still on one of the closest friends he's ever had. _'And you had to go get yourself killed'._

 **Flashback:**

 _"Nii-san, when will Mitsu-neesan be back?" Sasuke asked softly with a worried gaze. "She's never gone for so long"._

 _"I know", Itachi simply said and he kept his eyes forward. The two of them were sitting on the porch like they usually did and he had an arm around Sasuke's small shoulders. It had been six days since Mitsuru was gone on her mission and she was supposed to be back on the next day._

 _Sasuke jumped when Shisui suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The urgent look on his face had Itachi on his guard and the two brothers looked at him expectantly. "Mitsu-chan's team is back", he told them. Sasuke's face lit up but no expression came from Itachi as he waited for more._

 _"There's a problem though", Shisui added with a hard stare. Catching the silent message behind his words, Itachi nodded and he turned to his little brother. "Sasuke, go back inside. I need to go with Shisui right now", he told him._

 _"But, Nii-san-"_

 _Sasuke had no time to argue and the two elder boys left immediately. Itachi followed his cousin who headed for the Hokage's tower. "I don't know the details but Kakashi asked me to bring you for the team's report", the elder Uchiha said and he waited for a beat. "I didn't see Mitsu-chan". He noticed the almost invisible widening of Itachi's eyes and they both sped up, taking to the roofs to avoid the civilians. They jumped up the tower once they were close enough and they landed on the window sill at the same time._

 _"Ah, Itachi, Shisui", the old Hokage acknowledged with a curt nod. The young boys jumped inside the room and they found Kakashi standing by the large desk with a boy who looked around the same age as Shisui. He had a lot of bandages covering his body and a fresh scar had made its way on his left jaw._

 _"Hisagi", Sarutobi addressed the young Chunin. "I need you to give me the status of every member of your team and all the details on the mission"._

 _"Yanagi Kurehito is comatose due to his critical injuries, Aihara Shinji is still unconscious from the blood loss but he is recovering at the hospital, and team leader Hiragi Mitsuru was possibly killed during our battle", Hisagi reported and his eyes lowered to the wooden floor as they glazed over._

 _Itachi tensed and Shisui's hand on his shoulder did nothing to ease his mind. The necklace tucked inside his shirt suddenly seemed to weigh him down._

 _"Team Hiragi successfully completed the mission and Orochimaru's base was destroyed. We encountered no enemies, just as we expected. As soon as the whole base collapsed, Hiragi-taicho ordered for us to head back immediately. However, we were ambushed by followers of Orochimaru and Hiragi-taicho suspected that someone leaked information about our mission. We were forced to fight them because there was no other way to escape without any casualties. But the enemies gained the upper hand due to their large numbers and Kurehito was struck down. Hiragi-taicho ordered for us to get him back to Konoha and I sent Shinji ahead with him while I fought along Hiragi-taicho. It was clear that we were going to lose and the leader used her ultimate jutsu-"_

 _"-Fire Dragon's Electric Rain", Itachi interrupted. "A combination of her fire and lightning natures"._

 _"She recently developed it but it was still imperfect due to its instability", Shisui added. "This jutsu also sapped her of all her chakra whenever she tried it out. After each trial she would fall unconscious and we warned her not to use it, ever"._

 _Kakashi fisted his hands but he kept a passive stance._

 _Hisagi nodded in confirmation._

 _"But this jutsu is able to wipe out anything within a 100 meter radius", Shisui continued. "How did you survive it?"_

 _"The Flying Thunder God technique of the Yondaime Hokage", the injured Chunin replied._

 _"How did she know that technique?" Kakashi suddenly asked with a slight widening of his visible eye._

 _"Mitsuru held a lot of admiration for Minato and after his demise, she came to me to ask for guidance to learn his Flying Thunder God technique", the Sandaime answered quietly. "Hisagi"._

 _The latter nodded and he continued, "Hiragi-taicho had placed a seal on each of us without our knowledge and after taking two soldier pills, she used a clone to teleport me to Shinji and Kurehito who were not too far. Before I could do anything, the clone transported all three of us at several intervals where she had placed the seal until we reached the Tea village which was a few miles away from the fight. As soon as her clone disappeared there was an explosion and Shinji and I took off to get Kurehito to the hospital as soon as possible"._

 _"Why take the three of you so far away?" Itachi asked softly. "Her jutsu cannot harm anything out of the 100 meter radius"._

 _"The attack annihilated anything within a mile", Hisagi replied._

 _Shisui's eyes darkened. There was a huge difference between 100 meters and a mile! 'Mitsu-chan...'_

 _However, next to him, Itachi narrowed his eyes. "She must have use her ability to amplify attacks. But using that much chakra in one go can kill anyone"._

 _Silence met his ears._

 _A simple mission turned out to be suicidal and Mitsuru was the one who lost her life. Itachi lowered his gaze to the floor, still trying to grasp that piece of information and he fisted his hands, his nails digging painfully into his palms._

 _"Hiragi Mitsuru had the Will of Fire and she used that willpower to sacrifice herself for the sake of her teammates and for our village", the old Hokage said softly and he stood up. "We will honor her memory"._

 **End of flashback.**

Itachi was lying on his bed with an arm draped over his eyes. Even after so many years, he could still picture Mitsuru perfectly. Her soft silver hair that flowed down to her waist, her sharp blue eyes and that smirk that almost never left her face. Sasuke had taken the news of her death badly, as well as his mother. For her funeral, everyone who knew Mitsuru were present and there was quite a large crowd. Her name was engraved on the KIA stone, coincidentally just below the name of Uchiha Obito.

His Akatsuki ring suddenly lit up and Itachi automatically stood up and headed for the impromptu meeting. He was the first one to enter the large room that was normally used to gather all the members, and soon after came Kisame, Deidara and Sasori in his Hiruko puppet.

"What's taking the others so much time?" Kisame asked impatiently. He wanted this meeting to be over with quickly so that he could get back to training.

"Kakuzu and Hidan must be fighting again, un", Deidara answered as he kept his back to the silent Uchiha.

"What was that, you piece of shit?!" the Jashinist roared as he appeared in the doorway, Kakuzu standing right behind him.

"You're blocking the way, Hidan", the masked man said monotonously.

His partner spun on his heels to glare at him. "Fuck you, Kakuzu! I stand where I want to and no fucking one will order me around, you asshole!"

"Hidan", warned a commanding voice hiding in the shadows inside the room. Footsteps were heard and Pein came out into the light with Konan by his side. "We'll start the meeting", he said and all members formed a semi-circle in front of him.

"Where's the carnivorous plant man?" Kisame asked when he did not see the missing member.

" **Right here** ", Black Zetsu answered as half of his body came through the floor, next to Sasori who barely glanced at him. "You may start the meeting, Leader-sama", White Zetsu said with a curt nod.

"This sudden meeting is to introduce to you the newest addition to the Akatsuki ranks", Pein began.

"Another fucking asshole", muttered Hidan. One glare from the leader shut him up.

"During the last few years, she has been training with me while doing simple missions for us. Now that I consider her to be strong enough to hold her own against any of you. I have decided to make her a full-fledged member of our organization", Pein continued.

"'She'?" Deidara echoed. "The new member is a girl, un?"

"Ha! The she-male is going to have someone to play dress up with her!" Kisame snickered before bursting into a full blown laugh.

"The fucking fish is right!" Hidan added while laughing with the Swordsman.

"Deidara", Sasori warned in a low voice. The seething blonde haired man fisted his hands and he reluctantly turned his head back to Pein who had an annoyed look on his grim face.

"Kisame, stop it", Itachi said, noticing Pein's patience wearing thin. His partner quietened down and Hidan did too.

"Thank you", the leader said with a nod towards Itachi. "Some of you may have heard of her before or perhaps even known her personally".

The young Uchiha did not miss the look that Konan sent him as Pein said the last part. Did the new girl have anything to do with him?

"I present to you, Hiragi Mitsuru", Pein introduced and a small figure came out into the light with light footsteps.

Itachi felt like a brick had been thrown at him. He did not even bother to hide his flabbergasted expression at the appearance of the girl who was wrapped in the standard Akatsuki cloak, the hood shadowing her face. At first he thought that there might have been a mistake, but when he saw the silver hair peeking out of the cloak, all his doubts flew out of the window.

She was here, he realized. He had never really lost her.

"Oi, Itachi-san, do you know that girl?" Kisame asked casually when he saw the utter surprise on the raven haired man's face.

The girl unclasped her cloak with a terribly shaking hand and after a few tries, she managed to pull it off of her. Her bright blue eyes met dark ones and relief, happiness, sadness, despair and hurt all flooded her senses at once.

There he was.

She could finally see him for real after so many years of hiding in the shadows.

"I-Itachi..."

"Mitsuru", the usually silent man called back, still shocked. She had changed a lot, he noticed. Her silver hair was slightly longer as well as her bangs, and her eyes looked more mature. She had a curvy but small figure and her choice of clothes had changed too. She was wearing the standard Konoha Ninja clothes with a flak jacket similar to that of a Jonin but hers was navy blue and had more pockets for her small scrolls. A sword was strapped to her left hip and there was a silver chain that looped twice around her hips.

Mitsuru had certainly grown up.

The next thing he knew, the silver haired girl was in his arms, her hands fisting the back of his cloak tightly. Her face was buried in the crook of his neck and Itachi looked down at her.

"Huh!" Hidan scoffed and he crossed his arms over his chest in an annoyed manner. "So the Uchiha knows the chick?"

"Shut up, Hidan", Kakuzu shot at the Jashinist. "Don't get jealous just because Itachi has a girlfriend and you don't".

"Why the fuck would I be fucking jealous of the Uchiha?!" his partner growled defensively. He would have gladly said 'the asshole and his bitch' instead of just the name of the Sharingan user but he was still wary of Itachi and his fearsome Dojutsu. Considering the fact that Itachi had not pushed the newbie away from him, this hinted that they both were in good terms with each other, and there would be no doubt that Hidan would have his ass handed to him royally for speaking his mind instead of holding back.

"It's been so long, Itachi", Mitsuru said, her voice muffled by his clothes.

"Yes, it has", the man simply replied. However, he was too slow to react when he was suddenly pushed back by the girl who swung her fist at him, catching him with a powerful punch. Itachi blinked at the pain and he turned his head back to look at the short girl who was glaring at him. The metallic taste in his mouth indicated that she had caught him good.

"Oh my!" White Zetsu exclaimed dramatically but the amusement was clear in his voice.

"I like her, un!" Deidara decided with a smirk.

Kisame stared at his partner and the new girl incredulously. She had punched him and Itachi did nothing to stop her nor was he getting ready to fight her. "Well, this is new", he mumbled to himself.

"What in the world is wrong with you?!" Mitsuru snapped at her best friend. "I leave you for ten fucking years and this is where you end up?! Every fucking day when I think about you I picture you as the ANBU Captain leading his team into battle and then dragging his ass back home in one single freaking piece. But what the hell do I find out when we meet again after so long? You entered a fucking organization full of freaky criminals!"

"You've got competition", an amused Kakuzu told Hidan who was staring at the girl with a smirk.

" **What the hell is this?** Wow, Itachi is getting yelled at by a girl?" Zetsu said.

Sasori glanced at Deidara who looked like a kid who was told Christmas would come early. He seemed to enjoy seeing Itachi getting scolded.

"Mitsuru, how are you still alive?" Itachi asked softly, ignoring the fact that he just got yelled at.

The blue-eyed girl calmed down and her shoulders slumped. "Ya- Pein and Konan saved me", she revealed, throwing her saviors a quick look over her shoulder. "Pein had used his Almighty Push to repel my ultimate jutsu and they got to me in no time at all. Konan nursed me back to health even when I was so close to death. They took me in, and here I am".

"Mitsuru", Pein called, gaining everyone's attention. "You'll stay with Itachi for the time being. You won't have any partner but you'll have a four-man team working under you. You'll meet them tonight, understood?"

"Yes", the young woman simply answered.

"Dismissed", the leader said to end the meeting and he left the room first, followed by Konan.

Itachi only threw a look at Mitsuru who followed him out of the door silently.

"He can't fucking wait to fuck her senseless, can he?" Hidan said with a smirk once the two ex-Konoha Nins were out of earshot.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that you want Mitsuru in your bed", Kisame teased him before leaving the room.

"She's fucking hot, you asshole! Who wouldn't want to bed her?" Hidan cursed after him.

"Shut up, Hidan", Kakuzu scolded with a light frown. "I'm not going to stitch you back together if Itachi chops you into pieces".

"I'll be waiting for that delicious moment. Yes, yes! Me too!" Zetsu piped up.

Hidan glared at the cannibal and he left the room with a string of colorful profanities.

Itachi led Mitsuru outside and they both left the base to find somewhere they could speak without being overheard. They soon came to a cliff which overlooked a large forest and Itachi sat on the edge with the girl next to him. They were both silent for a while, simply enjoying each other's company and the temporary freedom they had.

"Did my team make it back?" Mitsuru asked softly.

"They did", Itachi confirmed. "Hisagi was injured but he got back on his feet quickly, Shinji was unconscious due to blood loss and Kurehito was comatose".

"And now?" she pushed. "I mean, did you hear anything about them?"

"Hisagi was killed in a mission about two years back, Kurehito retired and he has a family, and Shinji is now an ANBU member".

"It's surprising how time flies by", Mitsuru said with a light sigh. "It seems like it was only yesterday when I went on that mission".

"I know".

"I was told that it was Danzo who leaked information about the mission", she told him. "However, at that time, I was still quite weak and I could not do anything about it. I recognize that he is a very important piece to keep Konoha safe but at times, he does stupid things that makes me wonder why any of the Hokage did not kick him off the council".

"He's going to meet his match someday", her friend said with a nod. He too had an intense dislike towards Danzo but like Mitsuru, he could not do anything about him.

"I heard about the massacre". Mitsuru caught the brief look of pain in her best friend's eyes before they were carefully veiled again. "I did some research of my own and I know everything that happened, Itachi".

His dark eyes widened slightly as they met her blue ones. "How did you get that information?" he demanded.

"You know I'm really good at that", she answered with a sly smile. "I could have gathered information on Konoha on a regular basis but I didn't want Pein or Konan to be suspicious of me. They would have killed me if they found out I was getting in touch with my old life".

"Why did you join the Akatsuki?" Itachi asked and he turned his body to face the girl who mirrored him.

"I owe my life to Pein and Konan. They saved me instead of letting me die and there's nothing I could do to repay everything they did for me. After a while though, they gave me the freedom to decide whether I wanted to stay or not. I would have left if I had not found out that you were here too. That's when I did my research on the true aim of the massacre and I decided to stay here by your side".

"You stayed back for me", Itachi repeated with a surprised look which faded into a smile. "You're still the same, Mitsuru. I remember you saying something similar when you gave me that necklace".

"I meant every word I said then and I mean them now as well", she told him and her gaze lowered to his neck where she found a familiar chain tucked inside his shirt. She reached out slowly and she pulled it out, holding the tiny kunai in her palm. She then let go of it and she cupped Itachi's face, pulling him close enough to lean her forehead against his.

"No matter what, I'll stand by you. As your friend, it's my responsibility to protect you and to support you to the best of my abilities. I'm sorry that I left so suddenly but now that we're here together, I promise to stay by your side until the end. As long as we breathe, isn't it?"

"As long as we breathe", Itachi echoed and he brushed his nose against hers, causing her to chuckle slightly.

"Heck, if I could follow you in death I would", she added. "That's how much you mean to me".

"And you mean so much more to me".

A tear escaped Mtsuru's eye when Itachi skimmed his lips over hers softly. She leant forward into him and she kissed him firmly. Itachi let himself drown in her and for a moment, he forgot about the burden of killing his family, of letting Sasuke down, of not protecting Shisui. He temporarily forgot that he was an S-ranked rogue Shinobi and that someday in the near future, he would die by Sasuke's hands. For one fleeting moment, he allowed himself to be happy and to be like any other normal person. When Mitsuru pulled back, he looked at her with fondness and he could feel his heart beating rapidly, not in apprehension or like in battle, but with happiness.

For the first time in years, Itachi and Mitsuru laughed freely, treasuring this peaceful moment that they knew would make itself rare in their lives.

* * *

 **A tiny little review, please? ^_^**

 **~IcedLady~**


End file.
